UNA makes first foray to provinces

CANDABA, Pampanga—The United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has begun making its presence felt in the provinces, beginning with Pampanga, where President Aquino won in the 2010 elections.

Vice President Jejomar Binay and several prospective candidates on the UNA senatorial slate came here Saturday for the launch of a local political party.

But Binay said he attended the launch of Anac ning Candaba (ANC) because its founder, Mayor Jerry Pelayo, a staunch ally of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, was his “personal friend.”

He said the visit should not be seen as a form of early campaigning.

“We have not yet declared [UNA with the Commission on Elections],” Binay told the Inquirer.

He was welcomed by Gov. Lilia Pineda, Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao and at least 10 Pampanga mayors.

Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay, another Arroyo ally, arrived ahead of Binay and confirmed that she was running for senator under UNA in the 2013 midterm elections.

Arroyo, who represents the second district of Pampanga in the House of Representatives, is detained at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City on an election sabotage charge.

Former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, another prospective UNA candidate, joined Binay and Magsaysay.

Gabriel Claudio, a former political adviser of Arroyo, also attended the launch but was not seen talking with Binay.

Pelayo said ANC, as a local political party, was bringing a “politics of hope” to the town known for its bird conservation and agricultural production. His 30-year-old son, Patrick, leads the ANC youth bloc.

At the launch, Binay hailed the formation of ANC, saying local political parties were good for pushing the agenda of communities.

Local officials who spoke at the launch promised to support Binay’s bid to become the country’s next president in 2016.

UNA is a coalition of Binay’s Partido Demokratikong Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) and the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) of former President Joseph Estrada.

In a meeting of top UNA leaders last week, Estrada said Binay pointed to the combined strength of their endorsement power for the 2013 midterm elections, as shown by the results of a recent Pulse Asia survey.

The survey showed that 73 percent of respondents said they would vote for candidates endorsed by Binay, while 51 percent said they would vote for candidates backed by Estrada.

“If we combine 73 and 51 (that) is 124. So our bets are really at an advantage,” Estrada said.

President Aquino ranked second in the survey with 66 percent of respondents saying they would vote for candidates he would endorse.